


You Let Me in, I Loved You Then

by ladyannabethstark



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Mafia AU, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 08:34:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6650509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyannabethstark/pseuds/ladyannabethstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>mafia princess!Clarke x police detective!Bellamy + “You forgot to say the magic word.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Let Me in, I Loved You Then

**** “You’re not from around here.”

Bellamy looked up from his phone to see a woman leaning against the bar a few feet away. Her wild blonde curls and red lips were illuminated by the black, curve-hugging dress that she wore.

“Am I that obvious?” he asked.

“I’m good at reading people,” she said, a smile on her face. “You need a drink.”

He held up the whiskey in his hand and she shook her head.

“We can do better.”

Bellamy watched as she waved down the bartender.

“Pick a good one, Harper,” she said.

“You got it.”

She turned towards him again, sliding into the seat next to him.

“You familiar with this place?” Bellamy asked, gesturing around.

“I should be. My family owns it,” she said, leaning her head on her hand as she looked over at him.

“Wow.”

He glanced around at the bar. It was clean and half-filled even at five-thirty in the evening.

“You like it?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Bellamy said, looking back at her. “I need a little more information before I make a judgment.”

“Well let me know when you do,” she said, amusement shining in her eyes.

When the bartender came back, it was with a bottle of red wine.

“I don’t even want to know how expensive this is, do I?” Bellamy asked as Harper poured two glasses.

“It’s a good thing you have connections.”

He took one of the glasses as the blonde took the other.

“Bellamy.”

She smiled and clinked her wine glass against his.

“Clarke.”

He returned the smile, taking a sip as he considered the fact that his first day in New York City was going pretty great so far.

* * *

 

When he woke up to movement on the other side of the bed, Bellamy turned over to see Clarke pulling her dress over her head.

“Leaving so soon?” he said, his voice rough with sleep.

He saw her smile but she didn’t turn around, slipping her shoes on.

“Places to be,” she said, standing up.

Bellamy watched as she adjusted her dress and pulled her hair up out of her face.

“Sure you don’t want some mediocre room service breakfast?” he asked.

Clarke laughed lightly, finally turning to face him.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to have to put a rain check on that offer,” she said, sitting on the bed next to him as he pushed up on his elbows.

“I don’t suppose I can get your number?” Bellamy asked.

He knew it was forward, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to let this amazing woman walk out the door without knowing how to get ahold of her again. She considered it for a moment before shaking her head.

“Nah,” Clarke said, reaching out to run her fingers through his already messy hair. “You know where to find me.”

With that, she leaned down and kissed him deeply, nipping at his lower lip before pushing away and standing back up. Bellamy watched as she walked out the door, a smile on his face. Almost as soon as the door closed behind her, his phone began buzzing on the nightstand beside him. Reaching over, he answered without having to look at the caller ID. He knew exactly who it would be.

“Hey O,” he said.

“Are you ready for your first day?” Octavia asked excitedly.

Bellamy sat up quickly, glancing over at the clock and letting out a blistering curse. In the midst of his awe over Clarke, he completely forgot.

“I will be,” he said, staggering towards the bathroom.

“Don’t tell me you overslept,” his sister said disapprovingly.

“Well I had a late night,” Bellamy grumbled.

“Ew!”

He almost laughed at his sister’s disgusted exclamation.

“Don’t say anything else. Call me later and tell me about your job.”

“Of course,” he said before hanging up.

His shower was quick and he was dressed in record time before hurrying out of his hotel room, without that mediocre room service breakfast he offered Clarke. Bellamy chose the hotel for its proximity to his new job so it took him only a few minutes to walk to the the precinct. He didn’t get three steps into the building before he heard someone calling out his name.

“Detective Blake.”

Bellamy looked around and made eye contact with his new captain, Marcus Kane.

“Sir,” he said, reaching out to shake his hand.

“Welcome to the city,” Kane said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Come meet your new team.”

Bellamy’s next few hours were a whirlwind of introductions and paperwork before he was brought to his new desk.

“I’m not gonna lie, man, it’ll be nice having a partner again,” Nathan Miller said. “Shit’s been over my head lately.”

He was quiet and easygoing so far, which already made Bellamy like him.

“Yeah, I bet. What have you been working on?” Bellamy asked curiously.

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

Miller led him into one of several meeting rooms that lined one wall, turning around a standalone bulletin board. It was covered in photographs, documents, and maps.

“Welcome to the  NYPD Organized Crime Control Bureau.”

* * *

 

Bellamy woke up to the feeling of lips on his chest. Glancing down, he saw blonde hair splayed across his torso and felt her hand dip into his boxers.

“Good morning,” he groaned.

Her head lifted and she smiled, wrapping her hand around his arousal.

“Hi,” Clarke said, tracing the tip of her finger around his nipple as she stroked him slowly and torturously.

“Fuck,” he cursed, dropping his head back on the pillow as her teeth teased at his nipple.

“In time,” she said softly.

Bellamy felt her breasts against his side and knew that she was still as undressed as him. When pushed up to straddle his hips, pulling her hand out of his boxers, he gazed up at her with awe. The sunlight coming through the window of his hotel room hit her just right, illuminating her hair and casting a soft glow on her skin. She looked almost angelic, if it wasn’t for the wicked grin on her face.

“Sorry for waking you up,” Clarke said, walking her fingers up his abdomen. “I was bored.”

“You can wake me up anytime,” Bellamy said, running his hands up her thighs before settling them on her hips.

She breathed out a husky laugh, leaning down to kiss him. Bellamy tangled his fingers in her hair, anchoring her close as he carefully turned them over. Her legs fell open as he settled in the cradle of her hips, his cock pressed right up against her damp underwear. Clarke let out a soft moan, grinding against him as he cupped her breast in his hand, tweaking her nipple with his thumb.

“How many times can I thank you for walking into my bar?” she sighed, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

Bellamy laughed lightly, kissing his way down her stomach.

“You’ve done it every day since we met,” he reminded her.

“Three times that first day,” Clarke recalled fondly.

Before Bellamy could go any further south, he heard his phone buzzing on the nightstand and let out a groan, pressing his forehead to her hip.

“Answer it,” she laughed, running her fingers through his hair.

He sat back, giving her a quick kiss before moving to the side of the bed to pick up his phone.

“Blake,” he answered, swinging his legs over to touch his toes to the ground.

“Mind coming in early today?” his partner asked.

He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his jaw.

“Mind if I say no?” Bellamy asked.

Miller laughed aloud.

“Sorry man. Am I interrupting something?”

Before Bellamy could fire back with a smartass remark, Clarke’s arms slid around his waist and her lips trailed over his shoulder blades. He barely bit back a groan as she peered around at him, a smile on her face.

“Not really,” Bellamy said, letting her push him back onto the mattress.

“You sure?”

He let out a sharp exhale as Clarke stood up and shed her panties, grabbing a condom from the nightstand with her lower lip caught between her teeth. She tore it open as she moved to straddle his hips again. Bellamy was feeling beyond desperate at this point.

“I’ll leave here in a few, alright?”

“Yeah no problem. I’ll have coffee waiting,” Miller offered, sounding unconvinced.

“Thanks,” Bellamy said, his voice strained as Clarke rocked her hips. “See you there.”

He tossed the phone away as soon as he hung up, groaning aloud this time as she grinned down at him.

“You proud of yourself?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“You want to lecture me or do you want to fuck me?” she asked.

Bellamy didn’t even have to consider his choice. It was an easy one. Clarke flipped over onto her back as he sat up to shove his boxers off. When he looked up at her, Bellamy let out a sharp sigh when he saw that she was rubbing at her clit, holding the condom out to him.

“Fuck Clarke,” he said, shaking his head as he took it and rolled it on. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

She pulled him down on top of her, nipping at his lower lip with her teeth.

“The clock is ticking,” Clarke said, hitching her leg up on his hip. “We’re going to have to do this the fast way.”

Bellamy pushed into her slowly, cutting off any further snarky remarks.

“First time I’ve ever heard a girl say that,” he said with a smirk.

“Oh shut up,” Clarke breathed, lifting her hips demandingly.

Bellamy braced his hands on either side of her as he pulled out and immediately thrust back in. Before long, their passionate sounds filled the air as he fucked into her. Her nails raked down his back, drawing a groan out of him.

“You call this the fast way?” she hissed out almost challengingly.

He reached between them, pressing his thumb to her clit. Clarke let out a half-gasp, half moan and snapped her hips upward.

“You think you can do better?” Bellamy said breathlessly.

She looked up at him, her eyes alight with lust.

“You bet your ass,” Clarke said.

Flipping them over was almost easy for her. Before he he knew it, she was sinking down on him, bracing her hands on his chest. Bellamy took hold of her hips as she rocked them desperately. They had tried out virtually every position they could think of in the past few weeks but this was definitely his favorite. As his hands slid up to cup her breasts, she tilted her head back and scraped her nails over his chest. When he suddenly sat up, Clarke’s gasp turned into a moan as his lips closed around her nipple.

The position made it harder to go fast but the erratic movement of her hips told him that she was close to her peak. Bellamy flicked his tongue over her nipple relentlessly as he snaked his hand between them, touching his fingers to her clit once more. This time he moved them in quick circles, relishing in her cries of pleasure. The clench of her around him as she came pushed him to the brink and he was coming too, pressing his forehead to her shoulder as her arms slid around his neck and she leaned into him.

“Wow,” Clarke breathed.

He laughed lightly, stroking his fingers down her back.

“Agreed,” Bellamy said.

As they pulled apart, he gave her a smile that she returned, rolling off of him. Bellamy couldn’t help but watch in admiration as she collapsed back on the pillows, her chest rising and falling quickly.

“I have to get ready to go,” he said almost mournfully as he took the condom off and tied it.

Bellamy hated to leave her, especially when she looked so flushed and relaxed. If it was his day off, he’d have several more rounds to look forward to. But it wasn’t and he was probably already later than he should be.

“You’ll see me later,” Clarke said, drawing his gaze away from her fantastic breasts.

“Later,” he repeated with a nod, leaning down to kiss her before standing up.

He felt her eyes on him as he walked to the bathroom to toss the condom and wash up.

“When are you getting out of this hotel?” Clarke called to him.

“My sister is coming to town next month to help me look at apartments. I promised I would wait for her,” Bellamy told her.

“That’s sweet,” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“Nah. I just don’t want to hear her complaining for the next five years about how I made the decision without her,” Bellamy said jokingly.

Her laughter reached his ears and he grinned proudly. By the time he came back out of the bathroom, she was dressing on the other side of the bed.

“I’ll meet you at the bar tonight?” Bellamy said, still uncertain.

What they had was relatively new and he didn’t want to push it. But he was rewarded with a smile that immediately made him relax.

“I’ll have a bottle of wine ready for us,” Clarke said.

“Great,” he said, unable to keep the smile from spreading across his face.

She smacked his ass and kissed his cheek as she passed him, winking before walking out the door. Bellamy found himself shaking his head and grinning even wider as he finished dressing, trying to figure out exactly how he met such a woman on his first night in New York. It really felt like he’d spent the last few weeks waiting for the other shoe to drop. He couldn’t help but wish that it never would.

* * *

 

“You’re gonna love this,” Miller said as he walked in, handing over a cup of coffee as promised.

“I already do,” Bellamy said.

The glee on his otherwise stoic partner’s face was unmistakable. Whatever was happening had to be big. Bellamy had only been working on building this case against the Wallaces for a few weeks and he had a burning desire to see them spend the rest of their lives rotting in a cell.

“They have a doctor on their payroll,” Miller said, leading him into the meeting room. “She’s got to be helping them with trafficking.”

He pointed at a hospital ID picture of a woman with cold eyes and pursed lips.

“Dr Tsing,” Bellamy read off.

“We find unrelated charges on her, because there has to be something, and make sure they’ll stick unless she makes a deal and flips on the Wallaces,” Miller said.

“Brilliant,” Bellamy said, nodding vehemently.

“You know the weird thing? She works at the same hospital where Abigail Griffin used to work,” Miller said as he turned to walk out.

“Who?”

His partner paused and looked back at him, realization dawning on his face.

“You don’t know about the Griffins,” he said.

Bellamy shook his head, feeling both confused and wary. It had to be a coincidence that Miller was bringing up someone called Griffin.

“They’re another big crime family. Jake Griffin was killed a few years ago and his wife took over. They’ve been pretty quiet for a year or so but we’re waiting for them to make some noise again. No one has been able to make any charges stick. They’ve got friends in high places,” Miller explained, leading him back the evidence locker that they kept around for open cases. “They mostly deal in white collar crimes but there have been a few deaths we’ve tried to lay at their feet.” 

As he rolled out another bulletin board, Bellamy looked over it with wide eyes. It was filled with even more clippings, photos, and documents than the Wallace board. It wasn’t until his eyes fell on her picture that his blood ran cold. She looked as innocent as can be, wearing a light blue sundress and dark sunglasses with a smile on her face.

“That’s the boss’ daughter?” he asked, his own voice sounding too far away.

“Yeah, no one really knows how deep she’s in but she runs the bar that we think may be their front.”

Bellamy swallowed hard and turned away, part of him wishing he hadn’t seen this. But he would have felt even worse if he found out later when the Griffin family stopped being quiet.

“What can we do about the doctor?” he asked, changing the subject.

If Miller suspected anything about his change in mood, he didn’t mention it.

“Let’s start making calls,” he said.

Bellamy nodded and followed him out of the room, refusing to look back at Clarke’s picture. He would deal with that later.

* * *

 

His chest felt heavy as he walked into the bar. Bellamy knew that he shouldn’t be there. As soon as he found out about Clarke, he should have cut off all contact. But he had to know. When she spotted him from her place at the bar, her smile was brilliant. She wore dark jeans and a black leather jacket over a loose white t-shirt. Her hair was braided away from her face and she wore red lipstick just like that first night. All in all, she looked gorgeous. If it wasn’t for the anger simmering beneath his skin, it would have been impossible to approach her with a blank look.

“Is everything okay?” Clarke asked, her smile fading as he walked closer to her.

“I need to talk to you in private,” he said, looking around them warily.

He had no idea how many people in the bar were involved. Bellamy wasn’t about to talk in front of them. Harper was behind the bar again, pouring out a drink with a smile on her face. He wouldn’t take the risk of her hearing, even though he liked her before today.

“You forgot to say the magic word,” Clarke said, her arms sliding around his waist.

Bellamy pulled away, causing her to frown.

“Please,” he said, pulling his badge out of his pocket to show it to her.

As soon as she saw it, her face paled and she looked up at him with wide eyes. For the first time since he saw her picture, Bellamy wondered if she might not have known.

“Come on,” Clarke said, looking away from him.

He followed her through the bar back to the office, watching as she heaved a sigh and turned around to lean back against the desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

“You can’t tell me that this is a coincidence,” he said in a tight voice.

Clarke looked up at him with a furrowed brow.

“You walked into  _ my _ bar, Bellamy. How could I have planned this?”

He didn’t have an answer for that but it didn’t make his suspicions go away.

“You never told me what you did,” he said.

“I told you I run a bar, which is exactly what I do,” Clarke bit back, sounding angry herself. “You never exactly told me what  _ you _ did, Detective.”

She said the last word with a hint of derision in her tone. Bellamy clenched his jaw and looked away from her.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” he said.

“No, I’m glad you did,” she said, stepping forward. “I really love seeing you look at me like I’m a criminal.”

Bellamy’s eyes snapped back to her.

“You run this place,” he said.

She looked at him with disbelief.

“It’s a bar, Bellamy. It’s a legitimate business. That’s what I do,” Clarke said defensively.

“Yeah,” he scoffed.

It was hard not to see the hurt look in her eyes before her face hardened.

“Should I have my lawyer here for this conversation?” she asked coldly.

“Don’t bother. I’m leaving,” Bellamy said, turning towards the door.

“Not a moment too soon,” Clarke said, remaining in place. “I don’t think you should come back.”

She sounded haughty now, her chin raised and her eyes defiant. Suddenly Bellamy could see how she could be the daughter of a mafia boss and it helped his resolve.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he promised her, a sneer forming on his face without his permission.

“Good,” she spat.

Bellamy walked out of the bar as quickly as he could, both anger and hurt filling him. It was too much to expect for this to work out so perfectly. The other shoe just  _ had _ to drop.

* * *

 

“You did what?” Octavia gasped.

Bellamy shushed her as they sat down with their pizza.

“I didn’t know who she was,” he said quietly.

“Did you tell your captain or your partner?” she asked.

He shook his head, taking a regretful drink of his soda.

“They wouldn’t let me anywhere near the case if it becomes active again,” he said.

“Are you sure that you should be near the case?” Octavia asked.

Bellamy didn’t blame her for the words. He’d been thinking them every day for the past week. But every time he started to walk towards Kane’s office to tell him, he managed to talk himself out of it.

“I can be impartial,” he said confidently. “It’s been a month, O. I’m over it.”

Octavia looked at him doubtfully.

“Well you still seem pretty pissed to me,” she told him.

His shoulders slumped and he finally said the words out loud that he refused to voice before now.

“I liked her,” he said.

His sister gave him a sympathetic look, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

“Do you what you need to do, Bell. Just don’t get yourself in trouble.”

Bellamy nodded, giving her a grateful look.

“So let’s talk apartments,” Octavia said, thankfully changing the subject.

* * *

 

Bellamy stared out at the park, bouncing his knee rhythmically as he tried to keep himself from looking down at his watch every few moments. His nerves drove him to arrive early, which only made him more nervous. It wasn’t until he saw someone approaching in his periphery that he looked around. She was in a light blue sundress, much to his surprise, her hair falling around her shoulders in those same wild curls and dark sunglasses hiding her eyes from him. Three months since their confrontation in her bar and she looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Clarke sat as far away from him as she could on the bench, crossing her legs and staring out at the park.

“You wanted to see me,” she said.

Her voice was distant, sounding nothing like the woman he shared the shitty hotel room bed with. Bellamy didn’t blame her. In fact, he was surprised she showed up at all.

“I wasn’t fair to you,” he said.

She didn’t say anything, though she did look over at him. It was clear that she expected him to say more.

“I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I should have let you explain,” he continued.

“Yes,” Clarke agreed, slowly pulling her sunglasses off. “And I should have controlled my temper.”

Bellamy didn’t agree to or deny her words.

“Mistakes were made,” he said with a fake solemnity.

The almost smile that tugged at Clarke’s lips was worth this entire meeting.

“I’m not a part of my mother’s business,” she said seriously.

Bellamy opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off with a look.

“I love my mother and she’s always taken care of me but I never wanted to be a part of that world. Especially after it killed my father. So I told her I would run the bar as long as it stayed clean. And it has.”

He didn’t doubt that she was telling the truth. It was all in her eyes.

“I knew you weren’t a criminal,” Bellamy assured her. “I was just angry and I lashed out because I didn’t know what else to do. It caught me off guard.”

“I would have told you eventually,” Clarke said, scooting a bit closer to him. “Honestly, I would have told you right away if I had known you were a cop.”

Bellamy took a deep breath.

“We both should have been more honest,” he said.

“Yeah,” she agreed.

They sat in silence, both unsure of what to say next. Before Bellamy could open his mouth to speak, Clarke cut him off.

“We still shouldn’t see each other again,” she said.

He looked over at her with a questioning look.

“You’re putting your job in danger by just sitting here with me,” Clarke said, gesturing around Central Park. “And I’m putting my family’s life in danger by meeting with you. We can’t see each other anymore.”

Before she could stand up to leave, Bellamy finally spoke up. But his words were all wrong.

“We’re going after the Wallaces,” he blurted out. “We have a strong case against them. If your family is involved with them at all, you’ll be taken down too.”

Clarke hesitated, looking over at him with wide eyes. Somehow, the knowing look she wore told him that she was more aware of this world than she let on, even if she did her best to stay out of it.

“My mother hates them,” she said, turning to face him more fully. “You’ll be doing her a favor.”

“What can you tell me about them?” Bellamy asked, somehow knowing that she had something for him.

“They aren’t well liked,” Clarke told him, looking hesitant to even be saying this. “No one outside of their organization will care that you’re taking them down. But within their walls, they inspire a lot of loyalty and they have a thing about revenge. You have to take everyone out or it  _ will _ come back to bite you and everyone else in the ass.”

He nodded, filing the information away.

“Thank you.”

She didn’t respond, standing up and sliding her sunglasses back into place.

“Don’t call me again, Bellamy. And take care of yourself.”

The last few words were said with more emotion than she’d given him this entire conversation and it made his chest tighten considerably. It was tempting to reach out and grab her hand, to keep her behind and tell her all the things that he wanted to say. But at the end of the day, they were on separate sides of this. She was still a Griffin.

“A rose by any other name...” he muttered before standing up to walk off in the other direction.

* * *

 

“How did this happen?” Bellamy demanded.

Clarke’s words rang in his head as he stared down the tactical team that he and Miller handpicked to help them with the operation.

“He slipped away sir,” one of the men said.

Before Bellamy could unleash hell, Miller planted a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look.

“Thanks for helping us out,” he said as Bellamy turned to walk away.

Minutes later, his partner found him leaning against the wall of the precinct outside with his hand covering his eyes.

“We did good, Blake,” Miller said.

“Not good enough,” Bellamy said. “Carl Emerson is still out there. Do you remember what he did for the Wallaces? Because I do.”

“We’ll find him.”

He took a deep breath, straightening up.

“And what if we don’t?” Bellamy asked, turning to face Miller. “He seems like the kind of guy who would love to get revenge.”

“On us?” Miller questioned.

Bellamy didn’t respond, causing him to heave out a sigh.

“I know you’ve been getting information somewhere else, Bellamy.  I haven’t questioned it but it’s been helpful but if it’s your informant that you’re worried about, we can take steps to…”

“She’s not an informant,” Bellamy interrupted, looking at him hesitantly.

It was a big leap but he knew that Miller deserved to know. They had been partners for a year.

“She?”

“Clarke Griffin.”

It was Miller’s turn to feel exasperated as he scrubbed one hand down his face.

“Shit,” he finally said.

“Yeah,” Bellamy nodded. “I met her before I started the job. We separated when we found out who the other was but… she helped out a bit.”

“So you’re not seeing her anymore?” Miller asked.

Bellamy shook his head, watching him closely.

“It would be a conflict of interest,” he said carefully.

“No shit,” Miller huffed, meeting his eyes. “No one’ll hear it from me.”

“Thanks,” Bellamy said, relaxing instantly. “Now Emerson…”

“Yeah,” he nodded, knowing how much trouble this could cause. “We’ll find him, all right?”

Bellamy took a deep breath, hoping that was true. He didn’t want this to blow back on Clarke, even if he was doing his best to stay away from her.

* * *

 

When the first mobster was found tied to a tree in Central Park with evidence of torture, they knew that Emerson was still hanging around.

“He’s one of the Grounders,” Miller said, pulling his shirt aside to show off the signifying tattoo. “Tristan something.”

“This will cause a war,” Bellamy sighed, shaking his head.

Even more than that, Emerson was looking for information. He knew there was a leak. The next month produced three more bodies and no leads on where the Mount Weather enforcer was hiding out. It wasn’t until a Griffin man was found that a familiar number finally flashed across Bellamy’s phone.

“Are you going to do something about this?” Clarke demanded before he could even say hello.

“We’re working on it,” Bellamy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood up from his desk.

He tried not to look suspicious as he walked out, not wanting to talk to her in the middle of the precinct.

“I’ve known the man that was killed since I was in diapers,” she told him, the fury leaving her voice for a moment. “I told you what would happen if you didn’t take them all down.”

“I know,” Bellamy said, hovering in the lobby. “I promise we’ll find him.”

There was a long silence before she spoke again.

“I’m afraid for my mother, Bellamy,” Clarke said softly.

It wasn’t in his blood to feel sympathy for a mobster, even Clarke’s mother, but he couldn’t bear to see her lose a parent when he’d experienced losing both. He knew that he was in trouble as he decided on his own to do everything in his power to never let her face that.

“I won’t let that happen,” he said.

It wasn’t a promise that he should have been making. But her relieved sigh on the other end made him relax as well.

* * *

 

**He’s at the bar.**

One text message was all that it took for Bellamy to hightail it to the Clarke’s bar without a second thought. He never planned on crossing paths with Abby Griffin, much less to have Clarke standing between them with her hands planted on their chests.

“He’s not here for you, Mom,” Clarke insisted, looking up at him. “I told him to come.”

As Abby looked at her with disbelief, Bellamy backed up several steps.

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“I saw Emerson here,” she said seriously.

“So you call a cop instead of me?” Abby demanded.

“A detective,” Bellamy corrected her.

Clarke gave him a warning look before turning to face her mother fully.

“I trust him. He’s been trying harder than anyone to find Emerson before he does anymore damage.”

“I can take care of him,” Abby said.

“No,” Clarke insisted. “You’ll get yourself in trouble.”

“If that man is coming for my daughter, I’ll do whatever it takes. And no one, including you…” Abby said, pointing at Bellamy. “... is going to stop me.”

She sighed, looking back at Bellamy warily.

“I didn’t hear anything,” he said, turning away.

As he looked out of one of the windows, Clarke suggested that he leave and let her talk to her mother. He barely heard her, squinting through the crowd at someone in a black baseball cap standing on the opposite side of the street facing the bar. It wasn’t until he saw the sunlight glinting off the gun that he realized exactly who it was.

“Get down!” he shouted, turning around.

Clarke was already hitting the ground so the person he ended up dragging down was the one person that didn’t want him there. Abby Griffin landed heavily as the gunshots flew right over their heads. By the time Bellamy managed to pull his own gun, the shots stopped. Standing up, he ran out but the screaming crowd was too hectic for him to see anything. By the time they cleared, there was no sign of Emerson.

“Fuck!” he yelled, kicking at a nearby plastic bottle.

It shot into the street as he heard sirens approaching. When he turned around, he saw Abby in the doorway staring at him. Then she was practically shoved aside by her daughter. Clarke threw herself at Bellamy, tucking her face in his shoulder as soon as her arms wrapped around him. When she pulled away and pressed a kiss to his lips, Bellamy couldn’t help but return it, his hand delving into her hair. He didn’t even care that they had an audience. It wasn’t until she pulled away that he opened his eyes and gave her a questioning look.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“You saved her,” Clarke breathed, cupping his cheek in her hand. “You saved my mother.”

Bellamy glanced up at Abby who was watching them both curiously.

“You should go,” he said, nodding at her.

“He’s right,” Clarke said, turning around. “They can’t find you here.”

Abby stepped out of the bar with her bodyguards, giving Bellamy a nod before crossing the street to her car. Once they were gone, Clarke looked up at him with wide eyes.

“You can’t be here either,” she said.

Bellamy glanced past her at the rest of the people in the bar.

“If they say that I was here and the NYPD finds out that I left the scene…”

“They won’t, trust me,” Clarke assured him.

He did trust her. Nodding his head, he couldn’t help but kiss her once more before turning to head in the other direction. A few hours later, he really should have been surprised to open his door to see her standing there with a bottle of wine and a tired look in her eyes. But he wasn’t.

“Should I even ask how you know where I live?” he asked.

“I have my ways,” she said softly.

Usually her voice would have been teasing but she looked too weary. When Bellamy stepped aside, she gave him a grateful look and walked in.

“No one knows you were there,” Clarke told him once he shut the door. “You should be alright.”

He didn’t quite know what to say. Thank you made it seem like he was okay with everything that happened that day but it didn’t quite sit well with him to hide his connection with Clarke from everyone but his partner. And Miller would be pissed if he knew where Bellamy was that day.

“You brought wine,” he acknowledged.

“The same stuff we drank that first night,” Clarke nodded.

Bellamy couldn’t help but smile, gesturing for her to follow him. She opened the wine as he pulled out two glasses. Then they moved to his small table to share the bottle.

“I feel like I should thank you again,” she said softly, looking at him over the rim of her glass.

“It was instinct,” Bellamy dismissed with a shrug.

Clarke took a long drink of her wine, glancing out of his window.

“I trust you. I’m not sure if I should.”

Bellamy huffed out a laugh, shaking his head.

“There’s a lot of things that I shouldn’t be doing,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

“Like this,” she said, gesturing between them with a small smile.

“Yeah exactly,” he nodded.

Clarke’s face grew serious and she set her glass down, leaning forward to look in his eyes.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

Bellamy hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“I should,” he said.

Clarke smiled knowingly, reaching across the table. Her fingers swept over his palm and played with his own fingers for a few moments before she twined them together.

“We’ve been running away from each other for a year, Bellamy. You wonder why we can’t seem to get very far?”

Bellamy shrugged, pulling their hands up to brush his lips over her knuckles.

“Emerson won’t get near you again,” he promised her. “We’ll catch him.”

Clarke let out a heavy sigh.

“Do you know why I called on you instead of my mom when I saw him?” she asked.

He shook his head, relieved that she brought it up. The question had been bothering him since he left the bar.

“I wanted to do it the right way. I didn’t want his blood on my hands, or on my mom’s. I wanted him to be punished the right way,” she said, staring at a spot over his shoulder. “Now it’s all over because my mom knows he came after me. He won’t see a courtroom.”

“He might,” Bellamy said, straightening up. “You just have to help me get him there.”

Clarke’s eyes met his again and she stared at him for several long, silent moments before standing up.

“You make me feel good, Bellamy,” she said, walking around the table towards him.

“Good to know,” he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes with a fond smile, sitting in his lap with her arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders.

“I mean you make me feel like a good person,” Clarke explained, her hand playing with the curls at the nape of his neck.

“You are a good person,” he said seriously.

She pressed her forehead to his, her eyes closing.

“Maybe you’ll have to keep reminding me.”

He swallowed hard, reaching up to brush his thumb over her cheek.

“Whenever you want,” Bellamy vowed.

She let out a soft, contented sigh and relaxed against him.


End file.
